Scandinavian recipes made in America

Rødkål – Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

With the holidays quickly approaching it’s time to revisit some classic Danish dishes. Rødkål is a side dish that is always on the table for Christmas dinners and luncheons but of course it is also served at other times. For me though, the sweet and sour aroma with a hint of cloves in the background reminds me of Christmas and it will perfume your house in the most warm and pleasant of ways. The dish itself is very quick and easy to assemble and the remainder of the time is spent simmering away on the stove.

Sliced red cabbage ready for cooking

I have been experimenting with this recipe for some time now and I finally got it right (that’s according to my tastebuds of course :)). The traditional way to make Rødkål is to use Ribssaft (Red Currant juice) but it’s impossible to find it in any of the stores around here, so I am substituting it with 100% Pomegranate juice.

The first time I made Rødkål the ratio of vinegar to pomegranate juice was off with too much vinegar. The second time I could not find any pomegranate juice so I used cranberry juice instead…bad idea. It left a really dry taste in my mouth. In the meantime, my parents came to visit and they brought real Ribssaft with them but it was confiscated going through customs. (Still unclear as to why they couldn’t bring it in, maybe the size of the bottle?) Anyway, two cabbage heads later and with real pomegranate juice and less vinegar, we finally have a winner!

Remove outer leaves of cabbage, cut into quarters, remove the tough white core and discard. Slice cabbage into desired thickness. Place cabbage into cooking pot and add vinegar, juice, sugar, salt and ground cloves. Let it simmer covered for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. At the end of cooking time add the butter and gently stir until melted. If cabbage is to be used fairly quickly, simply just sterilize jars and lids with boiling water. If cabbage is intended for storing away, rinse jars and lids with Atamon. Store in cool, dark place. Enjoy!

[…] which is a hearty mashed potato recipe made with lots of butter. Tonight’s side dish was Rødkål which is shredded red cabbage, slow cooked in cherry juice giving it a distinctive sweet and sour […]

I replace the red currant juice with a “home made version”: Stores like Whole Foods carry Red Currant Jelly in small glasses. I simply eyeball the jelly and liquify it with warm water first before adding to the batch of rødkål that I am cooking! Also add shredded apples and with a Dutch husband, I sometimes “cave in” and add some “nelliker” (cloves) which also is a super extra for the dish. Thanks for your excellent site. I will try your remoulade… sounds interesting! which brand yellow mustard do you get? cause the american yellow mustard is really very strong in its own way – would it not overpower the taste?
Godt NytÅr herinde!
Greta

Thanks for the tip on Rødkål, sounds good. Actually I like the idea of adding nelliker. As for the Remoulade I do use yellow mustard and I don’t find it overpowering, but you can always experiment with other mustards if you don’t like the yellow. Make it your own Remoulade. Happy New Year!

Made my red cabbage last night. I use apple and red currant jam most often, but have substituted lingonberry jam from Ikea, and even raspberry in a pinch. I like mine fairly sweet with that little butter taste. I saute the cabbage in butter first, and then eyeball the vinegar and demerrara sugar…..adjusting to taste after about 20 minutes. It’s not Christmas without red cabbage.

My husband and I are cooking this dinner in a hotel with a very small kitchen but I gotta tell you the rest of the hotel staff and guests cannot help but get a little pickled from this cabbage. Still cooking and now getting ready to prepare the caramelized potatoes and the duck….sometime through all this I still need to figure out where to put the aebelskivers. Christmas Day is most definitely entertaining this year.

Do the Americans really not sell blackcurrant coridal/squash, my children would have a problem as they live off this drink! Its seems every Dane does their red cabbage differently as my mum puts actual apple in hers and Trine Hahnemann puts cinnamon in hers. Good to try different recipes so thank you for your version:-)

I have seen red currant juice online but have never been able to find it in any stores around here where I live, so it’s one of those times where I just had to experiment to find a proper substitute. And yes you are right, there are many different ways Danes make their Rødkål. This is similar to the way my mom makes hers 🙂 and it reminds me of home.

In response to finding Currant juice….just had success…learned that for many years Black Currant Berries were banned in the U.S until recently…there is “Knudsen brand Just Black Currant Juice” available ant it is very pricy…if you go to Knudsen.com and check their products then you can check where to find…

My favourite dish from our Danish-Australian Christmas table. My Mormor used to make it every year, but now she is a little older we buy jarred cabbage. I will have to try this recipe instead 🙂 Thank you for sharing.

Nothing against jarred red cabbage, actually they are quite good. But there is just something about making it yourself, for me it brings back memories of preparing for Christmas…and I love Christmas. 🙂

I make mine with Red Currant Jelly, because that’s how my mom made it, so of course I make the ‘right way’ for me. And since I’m the only one who likes it in our house, I always ‘share’ it with a friend as well as freezing some for later. With the cooler weather, I think it’s time to make some again. It was always on the table for Christmas dinner as well.

My mom’s friend makes this often using red current jam …and sometimes she passes some along to me. I have absolutely loved it since I was a little girl. I have never tried to make it but I really must!